Uncategorized —

Microsoft leapfrogs Server OS plans

Share this story

With Windows .NET Server's release still hanging in the wings (currently at RC1), Microsoft has announced that the .NET Server version that was to accompany the Longhorn release has been cancelled in favor of focusing on the Blackcomb Server release. Whether or not this is a true "skipping of a server OS release" is perhaps a matter of semantics now that Microsoft's desktop and server releases are so temporally segregated, but I think the move makes sense. Server OS upgrade paths are typically less aggressive than enterprise desktop OS paths, which themselves are not nearly as aggressive as your standard enthusiast's must-upgrade-now mentality. With Windows .NET Server emerging in 2003, one must wonder if there would be any real advantage to releasing another full update just a year or two later when the desktop Longhorn update is expected, especially when many analysts would no doubt simply advise IT managers to "wait for Blackcomb," which is expected to be a more significant release.

Share this story

Ken Fisher
Ken is the founder & Editor-in-Chief of Ars Technica. A veteran of the IT industry and a scholar of antiquity, Ken studies the emergence of intellectual property regimes and their effects on culture and innovation. Emailken@arstechnica.com//Twitter@kenfisher